Bucharest

TOTAL SCORE: 42

Like many former Eastern Bloc countries, Romania is well placed to take a technological leap forward and adopt some of the most up-to-date payment applications.

The capital, Bucharest, has already shown a strong interest in contactless systems. In November 2008, the city played host to a six-month trial of contactless payment using cell phones. Around 500 customers of Dutch bank ING were issued a Nokia 6212 handset which they could use to make MasterCard PayPass-based payments at around 30 merchants, including cinemas, newsagents and fast food restaurants such as Burger King. Participants could also use their phones to access marketing information via NFC smart posters.

The trial captured industry attention across Europe as it was the first time a mobile version of Maestro PayPass had been tested in the field. It was also one of the first pilots that enabled users to check their balances and top up the value of their contactless prepaid accounts over the air.